It’s happened to every parent. Your toddler is playing and falls and hit his head. You rush to help him and the bump immediately starts swelling and turning purple. You ask your child if he’s ok but he is too young to communicate with words. How can you tell if this is just a bump on the head that needs a kiss to be better or if it’s something more serious?
Children suffer many falls and accidents, especially when they are young and many involve a blow to the head. You may know the symptoms of a concussion, but these are very hard to diagnose in children who are too young to talk or adequately express their feelings. According to the Mayo Clinic, here are some non-verbal cues that you can look for after a head injury to determine whether your child may have suffered from a concussion:
- Unsteady walking and/or loss of balance;
- Excessive crying;
- Tiring easily or listlessness;
- Crankiness and irritability;
- Changes in normal patterns of sleeping and/or eating;
- Lack of interest in things like favorite toys;
- Dazed appearance;
- Excessive, persistent dizziness;
- Large bruises or bumps in areas other than the forehead, especially for children under the age of one; and
- Symptoms that seem to worsen over time.
You should seek emergency care for your child if you observe any of the following serious symptoms:
- Seizures;
- Slurred or irregular speech;
- Clumsiness, stumbling or other evident coordination difficulties;
- Vomiting repeatedly;
- Loss of consciousness if longer than 30 seconds;
- Headaches that grows progressively worse;
- Unusual changes in behavior;
- Disorientation and difficulty recognizing people or places; and
- Dilated pupils, pupils or unequal sizes, or trouble seeing.
If your child does not exhibit the signs of a serious head injury after a minor fall, and if your child seems to be alert and responds to you normally, no further testing is usually required. In this case, your child can take a nap or sleep if desired. If any of the above symptoms develop later, seek emergency care. Regardless of the presence of symptoms, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a call or visit to the doctor within 1 to 2 days of any injury more severe than a light bump on the head.
A head trauma can cause immeasurable pain and suffering for a child and for the entire family. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident you need aggressive, knowledgeable lawyers to fight for your rights. Contact the attorneys at Alexander Law Group, LLP online or by phone at 888.777.1776 for a free, private consultation to learn more about how we can help.
